


Star Boy

by JaneAire



Category: Final Fantasy XV
Genre: A very angry very impressed gladio, Angst, Brief allusions to Prompto, Comfort, Crying, IgNoct, M/M, Mild gladnis flirting, Sneaking Out, Stealing a car, Swearing, Writing Sprint, brotherhood era, mentions of Gladnis, not proof read, platonic
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-11-02
Updated: 2017-11-02
Packaged: 2019-01-28 08:18:34
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,267
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12602300
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/JaneAire/pseuds/JaneAire
Summary: “Did I do something wrong?” Noct choked, fisting his hands in the bedsheets in mortification, glaring at where Ignis slowly pulled his hands away with wide, horrified eyes.Ignis, frozen to his spot, felt his chest splintering, unthawing just enough to crack his organs to shards, piercing his chest as his mind raced a million miles a minute to catch up to this revelation. He should've foreseen this happening.There's nothing more important to Ignis than his star boy.





	Star Boy

**Author's Note:**

> Take a shot for these Episode Ignis feels, lads. It's gonna be a bumpy ride.

It was late into the night before Noct's mourning inner monologue was interrupted by the sound of voices outside his bedroom door. Gladio's gruff voice--which had recently dropped, occasionally cracking midsentence, which still scared Noctis half to death--could be heard on the other side of the door, so deathly quiet and low Noctis could scarcely make out the words. The response came immediately, spoken more musically, more precise, and the lilting quality to it traveled under the door and had Noctis pushing his unfinished school work aside and heading for the door; that voice he recognized, he could recognize anywhere. 

But Ignis was already slipping through a slim crack in the door, Gladio's thick hand traipsing after him to seize the knob and slide it shut, leaving the younger two boys alone in silence. 

Ignis, every bit of fourteen and then some, was a tad bit short for his age, much too lean, too scrawny and Noctis often worried that if Ignis scarcely had time to see Noctis, was he even making time to _eat?_

He hadn't been sleeping, that was for certain by the red rimmed bruising under his eyes, his glasses magnifying the imperfection there. The stress had manifested itself into a smattering of acne across his cheeks, none too discreetly, either. 

He still had his things tucked under his arms--ridiculously large, heavy looking books that Noctis didn't want to touch and wrinkled notebooks that had seen better days. On the top of the pile was clearly a file for the council agenda, new proposals, things of the like. Ignis had only begun attending council meeting for a few weeks now, but his university studies had been going on a for a year longer. 

Noctis was still in middle school. 

There were days--much like tonight--where Noctis was painfully aware Ignis would make a much better king than he could ever be. He could see it in his father's eyes when the two of them were side by side, the way he spoke to Ignis, even the way he spoke to Gladiolus; Noctis was getting a free pass while the other two did the leg work. 

Noctis wasn't even entirely sure he minded. 

Despite how bone tired he looked, Ignis was beaming at Noctis, eyes wrinkling at the edges with the effort of it, dropping his school things neatly onto Noct's unorganized desk. 

“Hello,” Ignis sighed, pushing a soft hand through his unruly hair, sliding the bangs out of his eyes, revealing another patch of acne across his hairline. “Sorry it's so awfully late; have you finished your homework, Highness?” 

It was Ignis looking up at him with that expectant expression, still smiling with those sea glass eyes, that reminded Noctis _oh, I was angry. I forgot._

“Highness?” Ignis asked again, smiling sliding down a notch, and Noctis kept his gaze trained on the floor until Ignis’ smile had dissipated into nothingness, a snowflake in the ocean. All that remained was the bone grinding tiredness. Noctis felt a pang of guilt in even glimpsing it. 

“Noct,” Ignis said so softly, Noctis had to turn, slide himself so that he sat on the edge of his bed. He was still in the nursery quarters of the citadel; Regis had promised he'd move to bigger quarters once he turned thirteen, if his grades were alright and Gladio believed he'd progressed well in his training. Noctis was careful not to meet Ignis’ gaze. 

_Remember how lonely it felt, just now, before he came in? You sat there for hours and didn't even realize you were waiting on him._

There was a sharp pinprick behind his eyes, a gentle pinch of hurt that Noctis couldn't name. 

No. It had a name. 

“Is everything alright?” Ignis asked, coming around the room to kneel before Noctis, glancing up at the smaller boy, placing his hands on the prince’s knees. “Noct?” 

The levy had broken; he didn't cry, not yet, but the surge of emotion in his chest had him nearly gasping, vomiting up the words before he had the decency to stop, before he could remind himself that this was Ignis--

“Did I do something wrong?” he choked, fisting his hands in the bedsheets in mortification, glaring at where Ignis slowly pulled his hands away with wide, horrified eyes. 

“What? No. Whatever gave you that impression--” 

“You're late tonight,” he hissed, accusatory, too cowardly to watch Ignis recoil back to lick his wounds. “And you didn't show up at all last night. We haven't spent time together in _weeks_.” 

Ignis, frozen to his spot, felt his chest splintering, unthawing just enough to crack his organs to shards, piercing his chest, as his mind raced a million miles a minute to catch up to this revelation. Why hadn't he noticed Noctis had been upset. He should've foreseen this happening. Noctis was in a critical development stage; they should've seen to it that he hadn't been alone. Gladio should've been in the room. It was too soon to start the council meetings; too soon, Noctis wasn't ready, Noctis was too small--

“It feels like you're mad at me,” Noctis said softly, sending Ignis’ gaze flying upward to glance at the smaller boy, who was curled in on himself in the bed. “I just--I know I'm annoying, and _needy_ , and all that other stuff you and Gladio say about me, but, just, I'm sorry, okay? I'll try harder, I promise, I only need a little help and I _miss you, Iggy._ ”

And then Noctis was crying, and for all he was worth, all Ignis could do was stare, and take in the fact that this was all his fault. It had been eons since he'd seen Noctis cry like this, not since they were real children and he'd outgrown tantrums. 

_He's recently gained the ability to think abstractly and existentially. You need to be looking into his emotions a bit more, you stupid git. You left him alone._

“Noctis,” Ignis said slowly, returning to the bedside and lowering himself beside the younger boy, carefully slipping an arm around his shoulders. He tensed. “You have to understand you've done nothing wrong. I've simply been busy with other things; that was my fault, and I didn't think about your feelings. I'm sorry. You know you're my priority. I'll see to it that in the future this issue gets remedied.” 

Noctis let out a mirthless snort, turning away from his advisor. “You don't get it. I don't--I don't want you and me to be like Gladio and me, okay?”

“Gladio and I,” Ignis corrected. 

“Iggy,” he groaned, whispering again in a wet voice, “I want you to hang around with me because you like me, not because I'm your job.” 

There was a beat of silence between them, Ignis seemingly thinking while Noctis scrubbed at his reddened face with pale hands, leaving red scratch marks down his cheeks. 

“You are my job, Highness,” Ignis said slowly, as if working out a formula in his mind. 

“It was different before, me and you.” 

“You and I.” 

“Ignis. I just--I don't want you to get any older. I miss you already.” 

Noctis rolled away from his advisor, flopping face first into the downy duvet with a huff, fists still clenched into the soft fabric. Ignis fought the urge to rub circles in the space between Noct's shoulder blades; he needed a quick fix. How to convince a child they're wanted? 

What would Ignis want? 

Ignis wanted to sleep, if he was honest. He wanted a day off. He genuinely wanted to go somewhere with Noct, somewhere they didn't have to be this everyday for the rest of their lives; but penny well dreams never did float very far. 

Unless. 

“I may have an idea,” Ignis murmured softly. “If you don't mind a little espionage.” 

Noctis rolled to the side, glancing at Ignis through suspicious eyes. “Like what?”

Ignis grinned, a sharp smirk, and for a moment they were children again, and Noct felt that hollow grove in his chest fill just a little, no longer empty, not quite full. 

“Fancy a drive?” 

\----

They assigned Ignis a driver's license since he'd been tall enough to reach the pedals. For emergencies, of course, but Ignis had been so adept at everything else, it was simply best to get that over with when they'd finished the corresponding school work for it.  
Ignis enjoyed driving, cruising, and he'd taken Noct on drives before--with an entourage of guards and a processional, of course. 

Stealing the Regalia probably wasn't the smartest thing to do. Sneaking out of the palace probably wasn't wise. 

The beam on Noct’s face as he watched the city lights go by, glancing between the wet pavement and Ignis’ adoring gaze? It was worth it. He'd be in trouble when they returned, yes, and Gladio would nearly kill him, and he'd be on probation for months; Regis would probably assign them both more guards. 

It was worth it. He almost forgot he was bone tired, watching Noctis smile, watching Noctis enjoy life for just a moment.

They park just inside the wall, hidden in a little mall parking lot overlooking the city lights. They crawl into the backseat, Noctis resting his head on Ignis’ chest, Ignis’ fingers combing through the soft downy hairs at the back of Noct's neck. 

There was a brief moment of contentment, where all Noctis can do is knot his fingers in the woven fabric of Ignis’ sweater and drag the boy closer to him, wishing they could melt like this, becoming something so small and invisible no one could find them until they wanted to be found. 

“You'll make friends in high school, you know,” Ignis sighed, unable to ward off the smile stinging his cheeks. “You'll forget all about me. I won't be your best friend anymore; I'll be your old, stuffy advisor.” 

“That's stupid,” Noct said immediately, but he's reminded suddenly of carbunkle, how he hadn't spoke to his guide in months now. There was an inkling of doubt, because Ignis was always right. “You're my best friend.” 

“Indeed,” Ignis said fondly, earning a smack from the prince. “I'm serious, Noctis. There will be times I won't be there, not like this. I want you to know you can rely on Gladiolus and I, but you're going to have to make the effort of giving friendship in order to receive it; there will be few people in life who are willing to follow you blindly, were you not the prince.” 

“I know, I know,” Noct grumbled, pressing his face closer to Ignis’ neck. “I don't wanna talk about responsibility right now.” 

“What do you want to talk about, Noctis?” Ignis laughed amicably. 

Noct's grin was positively salacious. “Meet any cute girls, lately?” 

Ignis nearly howled, choking on his laughter, wondering internally how Noct would react if he managed to spill _does Gladiolus count?_

“I hardly think that's any of your--” 

They jump apart at the sound of the phone blaring, Ignis frowning. Ah. The fun is over. It was only Gladiolus, however. 

“Where the fuck are you two?” he bellowed, nearly blowing out Ignis’ eardrum. 

“We're safe, there's hardly reason for alarm. Noctis wasn't feeling well, so I decided he could use some fresh air. We simply took a quick drive around the city.” 

“Great, now get the fuck back here immediately. I don't care if he does puke all over your little designer handbag.” 

“It's a satchel,” Ignis sighed dryly. Pretty as he was, Gladiolus was an asshole, when he wanted to be. 

“Whatever.” 

“Has anyone noticed our absence?” 

“No.” 

“Do see that it stays that way? I'll have the prince safe in sound in bed within the half hour,” Ignis promised, earning more grumbling from Gladio's end. 

“Make it fifteen minutes. I'd like to keep my balls, if you don't mind,” the shield hissed, before adding. “Uh, Ignis?” 

“Yes?” 

“Can you show me how you did that? Snuck out? I could, uh, use the advice.” 

Ignis snorted, cranking the car into ignition. “Gladiolus Amicitia, you are incorrigible.” 

\----

They wound up in Noct's bed that night, the two of them, curled up around one another just like when they were children. Noct's homework is still unfinished, and Ignis has an essay due the next morning; they both get shoved to the backburner. 

Ignis made a decision that night, his nose pressed against the scalp of Noctis’ hair, his hands fisted in the younger boy's pajamas. Yes, it was his job to advise Noct, to see to it he become a good leader, kind and wise and humble; but perhaps this whole situation extended past that. Perhaps Ignis was responsible for more than just tutoring and etiquette and policies. 

Ignis was responsible for his wellbeing, for his happiness. He never wanted to see Noct cry again, not because of him, not because he felt as though Ignis didn't think of Noctis as if he were as important as the sunrise. 

Noct's face was still wet, still red, and perhaps tonight was much needed catharsis for the both of them, a good cry. Ignis memorized the lines of his rosebud mouth, and his twilight hair curling around his temples. In his mind's eye, he could make out his starry eyes, grinning at Ignis in a way the older boy didn't deserve. 

In the morning, Gladio will say that Ignis babies him too much; it's going to get him in trouble. There's not an inch of Ignis that cares. 

There's nothing more important to Ignis than his star boy.

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks for staying the end! I hope you enjoyed it. As always, comments and kudos are greatly appreciated, and have wonderful day ♡


End file.
